Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement about the death of Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson, who was killed in the line of duty this weekend:

“New Mexico lost a dedicated public servant yesterday. My heart aches for the family and friends of Officer Anthony Ferguson and the Alamogordo Police Department. He spent 11 years with the department working to make communities in Alamogordo and New Mexico safer through his leadership as a field training officer in the patrol division.

“As we mourn, I ask that all New Mexicans join me in keeping Officer Ferguson and his loved ones in your prayers and reflect upon the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make daily.

“It is outrageous that it appears that the suspect in this horrific crime was released after a violent encounter with an officer earlier this year. As leaders, we have a responsibility to take every single action we can to prevent dangerous criminals from being released back onto New Mexico streets. Not one more New Mexican should become the victim of a preventable violent crime.”

Officer Ferguson is survived by his mother, father, four brothers, his daughter, and his son.

The governor will request flags be flown at half-staff in the days preceding his funeral, which has not yet been scheduled.